http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/hemp-farmer-wisc-s5.jpgWisconsin farmers are facing challenges starting the new industrial hemp pilot program. Now confidentiality roadblocks are generating a new organization to connect growers, processors, retailers and consumers to establish and promote a dynamic hemp market.

STURGEON BAY, WI – Senator Caleb Frostman (D-Sturgeon Bay) announced that Steve Peters, a Green Bay native, has joined his legislative office staff. Steve previously worked for Representative Eric Genrich (D-Green Bay) and will be assisting Sen. Frostman with constituent outreach in order to provide one-on-one assistance to the residents in the 1st Senate District.

“Steve’s understanding of local issues and responsiveness to constituents will help me to provide high quality services that people expect from their elected officials,” said Sen. Frostman. “As I continue to meet with residents, community leaders, and businesses throughout northeastern Wisconsin, I want to be a resource and advocate for our community. Steve shares my passion for outdoor recreation, strong schools and safe roads, and his assistance will ensure that local needs are addressed and the interests of our region are well-represented.”

Provide additional funding for mental health programs to to make schools safer.

MADISON - Former federal prosecutor and candidate for Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is calling on Brad Schimel to use a portion of the remaining school safety grant funds to fulfill State Superintendent Tony Evers’ recent request for full funding of important mental health programs.

Josh Kaul commented, "We must do more to make sure that kids come home from school each day excited about what they learned, not scared. Recent efforts to make our schools safer are a first step, but they are just that. We should be working to make schools safer by providing additional funding for mental health programs.

"We also need to take action to keep guns out of our schools,” Kaul said. Unlike the current AG, who has criticized gun-free school zones, Kaul has advocated for common-sense gun-safety measures like universal background checks.

Josh Kaul served as a federal prosecutor in Baltimore, one of America’s most violent cities. There, Kaul prosecuted murderers, gang members, and drug traffickers, taking dangerous criminals off the street and making communities more secure. He grew up in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac in a family of law enforcement professionals and teachers. He is running for Attorney General in 2018.

Iowa Supreme Court knocks down law mandating 72-hour waiting periods, while many of Wisconsin’s anti-choice laws remain in the books.

MADISON - In the neighboring state of Iowa, the state Supreme Court today found unconstitutional a law mandating 72-hour waiting periods in order to receive an abortion.

Wisconsin has many anti-choice laws in the books, most of which severely limit a woman’s right to obtain an abortion, even in cases of medical emergency. The following restrictions on abortion are currently in effect in Wisconsin:

Women must undergo a 24-hour waiting period before receiving an abortion. As there are only three medical facilities in Wisconsin that provide abortion services, many women have to travel far to undergo the procedure and arrange childcare, time off work, and pay overnight expenses if they want to terminate their pregnancy.

Women must receive state-directed “counseling” designed to scare women out of receiving what is an overwhelmingly safe medical procedure.

Insurance policies for public employees as well as plans under Wisconsin's public health exchange under the ACA only cover abortion in extreme cases where a woman’s life is at risk or in cases of rape and incest.

Women must undergo an invasive, non-medically necessary ultrasound before obtaining an abortion. Medical professionals must then show the patient the image, a move designed to further intimidate and shame women out of receiving care.

Scott Walker signed into law one of the most extreme abortion laws in the nation -- a 20-week ban that contains zero exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

“Under Republican control, Wisconsin has become a state hostile to women’s reproductive freedom,” said Courtney Beyer, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson. “The right to decide when to begin a family is a sacred and personal one that shouldn’t be obstructed by Republican lawmakers. That’s why in November we need to elect a governor and leaders up and down the ballot who respect women’s right to make their own medical decisions.”